


We All Have New Scars To Bare

by TheOnlyOrigamiDinosaurLeft



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Episode: s02e01 Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Gen, M/M, flash backs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-12
Updated: 2016-04-12
Packaged: 2018-06-01 22:05:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6537937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheOnlyOrigamiDinosaurLeft/pseuds/TheOnlyOrigamiDinosaurLeft
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They all had new scars to bare, new memories that would soon be nightmares. They had had triumphs and failures, good times and so many bad. It had been hell on earth, they had been so lost. Jack had left them, left everything he had built for his own reasons. </p><p>Yet…. Something told Ianto there was more to it than that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We All Have New Scars To Bare

“Hey kids. Miss me?”

**

3 months earlier.

 

Ianto sat on the cold metal of the autopsy table, his shirt was in the medical bin along with his ruined jacket and tie. Owen was tying off the 4th stitch and shaking his head. Ianto had been in the field ever since Jack left, and he was taking up the role well according to Owen’s field report. However a surprise weevil attack on Friday afternoon had left him with a nasty scratch from mid-way up his chest all the way to his hip. The cut wasn’t massively deep but it also wasn’t shallow, Owen had insisted on stitches and a week on paperwork only. 

“Only you could manage this teaboy.”

“Oh come on. You’ve had your fair amount of weevil injuries.”

“Yeah well. At least I notice when I bloody great weevil comes up behind me.”

“It was only an adolescent.”

“Which makes it worse. You got beat by a tween weevil.”

Owen jabbed the thread through again and Ianto winced in pain. 

“Bloody hell. Take it easy will you.”

“I thought you were made of tougher stuff than this teaboy.”

“Fuck off.” Ianto spat out through gritted teeth.

“Easy mate. Don’t go messing up my handy work. 11 stitches, not bad for an afternoon. Come on, grab a shirt.”

Ianto slid off the table and picked up his spare shirt.

“Where you going?” 

 

Ianto watched the older man job up to his desk and grab his coat.

“WE are going to the pub. Come on, let’s unwind. The girls are out, Jack the ‘Jack off’ is wherever his having fun, you nearly died and I’m gagging for a pint. Let’s go.”

Ianto was silent and Owen chuckled.

“Oh Captain Come-Back has nothing to say? Well come on   
teaboy, its happy hour.”

Ianto rolled his eyes and grabbed his over coat. They walked in silence to the up and drank until Saturday morning came.

**

“Where were you?”

All eyes went to Jack at Toshiko’s question. The immortal had been back for hours only and everyone was dying to know how, why, where…

“I found my Doctor.”

“Did he fix you?”

Jack laughed.

“What’s there to fix, you don’t mess with this level of perfection.”

They could almost feel the ice breaking, until Ianto spoke.

“Are you going back to him?”

“I came back for you.”

Ianto thought about everyday Jack hadn’t been there and he knew he wasn’t ready to think about Jack in that way, not after everything they had been through. So he was positively thrilled when Jack’s next words followed.

“All of you.”

 

There was no time to react, the rift alarm went and it was like he had never left. Except he had, and so much had happened since.

**

2.5 months earlier

 

Ianto held Toshiko against his good side, avoiding where the scabs were slowly turning into scars. It was mid-December and she had slipped on an icy patch while chasing a lost tourist who thought they were going to kill him. Thankful said alien tourist stopped running as soon as Toshiko fell and helped them get her to the car. 

Now Ianto was practically lifting her though the hub and into the autopsy bay where Owen was setting up the x-ray scan.

“Hey Tosh, how’s the pain Darlin’?”

She grunted in response.

 

“Okay, let’s have a look at you. Thanks Ianto. Your side okay?”

Ianto nodded and held Tosh’s hand while she squeezed it as hard as she possibly could. Tears flowed down her face as Gwen brought down the pain killer from the supply cupboard.

“Thanks Gwen. Here you go Tosh, this should take the edge off.”

He plunged down the top of the needle and within seconds Tosh’s grip on Ianto’s hand was easing. They all took a relaxing breath as Tosh leaned back on the table and closed her eyes. 

An hour later Toshiko’s foot was in a cast and while she slept Ianto filled in the accident report from her bedside. Signing it neatly.

Ianto Jones.

He put it on the pile to give to Gwen for her signature. She was by far the best as forging Jacks.

**  
“Great now we have to avoid ourselves.” 

Ianto pushed himself up from the floor and stumbled over to where John was leaving. Thinking about the guaranteed free night ahead of him, and hoping they would let him go home. After the rift closed for the last time that night, Jack turned to them.

“Can I propose the idea of a hotel break for the night? St David’s is a 10 minute walk.”

Jack smiled at his team, who looked sceptical.

“My Treat!”

Jack added quickly, he laughed out loud at the sudden change in mood amongst the 4.

They got 5 rooms, each with a double bed and en suite. The spa treatments were a hit with Gwen and Tosh while Owen took full advantage of Jack’s open bar tab. 

Ianto simply thanked Jack, took his key and went up to his room to unwind there. It took two seconds for Jack to decide not to follow him just yet.

In his room Ianto ordered a stiff drink. He ignored the knock on the door because he knew it was Jack and he wasn’t ready to talk about the things they needed to talk about. And the scar still felt foreign along his torso. 

**

2 months earlier

Ianto’s shaking hands held the painkiller as he tried to find the vein. Owen was on the table, wiggling with the pain. He was trying to help but the stab wound had caught his thigh deep enough to need a good number of stitches. While Tosh held a cloth down to stop the bleeding, Ianto held his breath and inserted the needle gently into Owen’s arm.

“Good. Job. T….Teaboy…. Now you…. You’re gonna have to… stitch my leg. T…Tosh c…can help….”

They had found a small black market company selling alien goods on the outskirts of Cardiff. Ianto and Owen had gone in posing as potential buyers only for them to be recognised as agents. One took a knife to Owen’s leg. And Ianto didn’t hesitate taking out the other 4 men in the room within seconds. He dragged Owen out and eventually they made it back to the hub. 

The pain killer was slowly making its way through Owen’s bloodstream and he became more incoherent with every second. 

“Teaboy…”

Ianto looked up from Owen’s leg.

“Yeah?”

“Th-ank-you.”

Ianto smiled tightly and nodded, then turned back to the stitching. 

**

An hour later the knock came again and with a large sigh Ianto went up and answered the door. Jack stood there looking sheepish, hands in pockets and a genuine smile replacing his leer.

“Can I come in?”

Ianto coughed and moved aside.

“Sure.”

“Thanks.”

It was awkward. More so than it had been in the office building. Ianto had been impulsive then. Jack was back and so…. Different. He had said yea because he had not known what else to do. Now it was worse. Because Jack was expecting some kind of conversation and Ianto had nothing.

“Listen Ianto-”

“Jack I-”

They both started at the same time, Ianto looked down and blushed, and Jack chuckled slightly. 

“Sorry you go.” Ianto said.

“I just wanted to say I’m sorry. Sorry for leaving like that, and coming back with no warning. I know that sucked.”

“It’s okay.”

“No it’s not Ianto.”

Jack, who had been seated on the end of the bed got up and paced.

“Why aren’t you mad at me? Why aren’t you yelling? You’re just sat there like nothing happened, like you saw me last week. Why aren’t you mad?”

Ianto sighed.

“I am mad Jack. I’m bloody furious. But what good would it do to yell at you? You’ve only just come home. I want to accept that before I yell at you.”

“So you will yell at me?”

“Probably yeah.”

They fell into silence. Jack sat back down and looked up at Ianto. The broken man he left 4 months ago wasn’t in front of him anymore. Instead there was someone who had been through hell and still had the power to stand there and hold his own. Jack had missed him.

“So… what happened while I was gone?”

**

1 month earlier

After Gwen got shot by a passing alien thug the team went out for drinks. The pub was crowded as the rugby was playing over the people loud shouts. Gwen and Ianto were watching the game intensely as Wales passed cleanly and scored for the 3rd time in only the first half. Tosh sipped her white wine and laughed as the pub exploded into cheers. Ianto high fived and hugged a random guy sitting near them and Gwen screamed from her seat, still unable to move her shoulder too much.

Owen leaned back in his padded seat, his thigh was still sore but at least he could walk without too much of a problem now. He would never say it, but he thanked god every day that these people were his team, his support and his friends. He trusted no other 3 people more in the world. Ianto sat back down and threw back his drink, sweat bunched up on his ecstatic face.

“Did you bloody see that? Absolutely fantastic!”

He thrust his glass in the air and was met with 3 clinks. Tonight was a good night.

**

Ianto regarded Jack, his posture, his face, his everything. He wondered how to answer the question. What had happened while he was gone?

Too much.

They all had new scars to bare, new memories that would soon be nightmares. They had had triumphs and failures, good times and so many bad. It had been hell on earth, they had been so lost. Jack had left them, left everything he had built for his own reasons. 

Yet…. Something told Ianto there was more to it than that. Jack had left but somewhere deep down Ianto knew he wasn’t the only one who dreamt of terrible things, who had seen the worst the world could offer. Jack had the look of a man who knew pain, and as much as Ianto wanted to yell and   
scream right now, he couldn’t. 

He had no words.

Jack was waiting for an answer. So Ianto gave him one. The younger man slowly lifted up the corner of his shirt and revealed the 9 inch long scar. Jack’s face said it all.

“I’m okay. We’re all okay.”

Jack nodded, but couldn’t move his eyes away from the jagged line of reconstructed tissue. Suddenly blue met blue and Jack’s eyes were washed over with unshed tears.

“I can’t show you my scars.”

And Ianto knew exactly what he meant.

**Author's Note:**

> Please review and let me know what you think. I love this story and I hope you do too!


End file.
